


Fortune Favors the Brave

by imthepunchlord



Series: Always a Hero, No Matter the Miraculous [29]
Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Gen, I've had this idea since s1, Kwami Swap, More tags to be added, shipping currently up in the air, this old thought is finally coming forth, what if
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-02
Updated: 2021-02-16
Packaged: 2021-03-13 02:08:57
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 10,306
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29145711
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/imthepunchlord/pseuds/imthepunchlord
Summary: When Fu set out to pick heroes, it wasn't Marinette or Adrien he came across.
Relationships: Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir & Nino Lahiffe, Alya Césaire & Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug
Series: Always a Hero, No Matter the Miraculous [29]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/529792
Comments: 34
Kudos: 123





	1. Red Beatle and Chartroux

**Author's Note:**

> This is an oooooold idea. I've had this thought since s1, but held off because I wanted to know more about Alya and Nino. Unfortunately, canon isn't interested in either of them, especially Nino, so I'll have to take matters into my own hands.  
> I have no idea how long this will be, and couples are currently up in the air. I currently have no update schedule but will try and update as often as possible.

It all started after Alya dropped off the twins at the daycare. Racing her way up to school, she could see the smallest bit of light coming up over the towering buildings of Paris. With playful giddiness, she sped up, set to try and race ahead of the light, just to see if she could beat it. Her thick red hair bounced on her shoulders, and she had to constantly reach up to adjust her glasses as they were rocked about in her reckless rush. 

She came to a stop at the crosswalk, releasing an easy breath as the light rolled up to her side, easily gliding over her and coming to settle over the rest of the city. She grinned, taking in this new corner Paris, delighted to be here. 

It was farther out from their old home than preferred, but all of the Cesaire girls were up and ready to try this new home, see what adventures could unfold. Her content confidence was put off the rocker when she noticed someone move away from the crowd he was among, starting to step into the crosswalk with cars still oncoming. 

“Hey!” Alya shouted in alarm, startling many. The old man paused her shout, inquiring brown eyes going up to eye her curiously, still not moving out of the way. Alya dove forth, confident that she could make it to him in the seconds required to reach him. A hard grip on his wrist to startle him, she hauled him back to where he was, just in time to let the cars pass. 

Not that she was satisfied or done. 

“What was that?!” she exploded at him, her bafflement as the slight amusement in his gaze. “You know you were almost hit? Should you even be about by yourself?”

The old man held up a hand in a placating gesture, quieting her for a moment. “I am sorry, Miss. I thought I saw the sign change.” 

Alya crossed her arms, narrowing her eyes at that. “Yeah, it didn’t.” 

“Thank you for helping me,” he said, easing away from her ire. “It was very brave.” 

Alya puffed up, confidently declaring, “There’s nothing to fear but fear itself.” With her eyes closed with her bold declaration, she didn’t notice the small box he slipped into her bag. The second to go in, the first settled the bag of a boy in blue who had earlier helped him up from the ground. The first in the crowd to do so. 

“Fear leads to survival,” the old man murmured calmly, turning to walk away. 

“Wait,” Alya called out to him, “weren’t you going to cross the street?”

She received no reply as he wandered away, and she shrugged, turning to head to the school. Time to really face the biggest challenge of the day. 

* * *

From what Alya knew, she was one of the classes up on the second floor, had a teacher named Mme Bustier, and that this whole school was a big fancy school. They took in the most talented or the wealthiest, as the mayor’s daughter was rumored to be here. 

Her mother gave a faint nudge of suggestion to befriend her. Befriending powerful people could lead to an easier life. Alya though wasn’t entirely set to that suggestion. She had to see this mayor’s daughter herself before the idea of befriending her could even settle. 

Coming into class, she paused to see that there was already drama happening in the morning. A girl in yellow was looming over a dark haired girl with pigtails. Alya watched with a frown as she set her bag down in the front row, seeing the girl shrink deeper and deeper into her seat. The girl in yellow noticed her eyeball, and loudly declared, “Why don’t you sit with the new girl over there?” With a loud sneer, she jabbed, “You can both be an eyesore together!” 

Eyes flickered to Alya with mildly curiosity, and glared back at the girl in yellow. Nora’s words echoed in Alya’s mind, a warning,  _ “Don't fight a foe on their terms. Fight it on your own.” _

Squaring her shoulders, Alya came straight up to the blonde, watching in smug delight as she looked startled and nervous at her approach. Alya though reached for the victim’s wrist, pulling her up from her seat. “Sure,” Alya said, eyes set on the blonde. “We’ll be the greatest, most eye catching eyesores,  _ ever _ .” 

The blonde gaped at her and Alya dragged the girl down to the front row with her, sliding right into the far seat. The girl awkwardly followed, looking uncertain but curious. Alya offered, “Sorry about that.” She glanced over to see the blonde grouchily taking the seat she wanted. “I probably should’ve done something else, like get your seat back.” 

“N-no, no, its ok,” the girl offered with a shy smile. “It's just a seat. And she’s not too close anymore anyway. Thanks for getting me out of that.” reaching for her bag, the girl brought up a little box with a bakery’s name on it. Opening it, Alya was startled to see a lot of broken macarons in there, except for one perfect one. Breaking it in half, the girl offered her one, revealing, “I’m Marinette, Marinette Dupain-Cheng.”

“Alya Cesaire,” Alya replied, happily taking one half. 

* * *

Nino eyed the two near his desk with mildly curiosity, smiling slightly at the cute sight of the two sharing a macaron. It dropped though as he turned away, staring tiredly ahead of himself. Last thing he wanted was to be up front this year. Being in the back would've had him more left alone.

And right now, that's what he wanted most, especially being away from the self appointed saint Bustier believed herself to be. Just thinking it jinxed Nino as the teacher drew near, offering him a consoling smile. 

"Hey, Nino," she greeted. He peered back, not responding. "I know you're off to a rough start this year, but the last thing you'll want to do is isolate yourself in the back."

"Nathaniel's there," he pointed out. 

Bustier gave him a pointed look, well aware that the two weren't friends or hardly talked. "It's good for you to be around others during this time. And luckily you're by the class' own sun, Chloe!" 

Nino made a face while Chloe perked, hearing her name. "That's right, Mme Bustier! I always bring a new radiance to this class," Chloe happily boasted.

Nino rolled his eyes, struggling to resist the urge to put on his headphones. Fortunately, Bustier seemed satisfied enough and left him be, trusting Chloe to "help" him. Nino ignored her and Chloe ignored him. He did overhear her grumble to her lackey, "I can't believe Adrien isn't here. He's supposed to be here today." 

Nino glanced at the empty seat beside him, grimacing. If a friend of Chloe’s was going to be here… maybe he should see if he can transfer to Mendeleiev’s class. She's a hard worker but didn't try to play therapist. 

Bustier called for class to start and the door burst open, startling everyone. There stood a blonde who was breathing quickly, managing out, " I'm sorry I'm, late."

"Adrien!" Chloe cried out excitedly, waving to him. "Sit here!"

Nino tensed as she pointed to the seat beside him.  _ Oh no. _

Adrien came to slide him beside him, offering Nino a big smile. Nino turned away. One of the reasons Chloe largely left him alone was because he ignored her. This kid will do the same, Nino’s certain. The rest of class was spent with no issues, leaving Nino to mentally drift in his seat. He was out of it till the bell rang, and students started to get up and gather their things. They all jumped when Ivan snarled behind them, heating Kim up by his collar.

"Ivan!" Bustier shouted and Nino hurried away, heading down to D'argencourt's class. He was given a quick nod and they waited for the rest of his class. Kim soon joined him, looking a little shaken. 

"What was that?" Nino whispered.

"Just a joke," Kim answered defensively. 

"How well did that work out for you?"

Kim gave him a small shock. 

"Is that everyone?" D'argencourt called out, looking over everyone critically. "Today, for a first day treat, we are going to the stadium to play ball!"

There where cheers as the crowd bounced around Nino, who in turn only made a face. Tugging his backpack strap, he joined the group as they started to head out, heading for the subway, oblivious to the threat that will soon follow them. 

* * *

Alya had a jolt when the school shook, her and Marinette sharing a wide eyed glance. The library tvs came to life, showing off footage of what was happening. They gaped to see a great stone golem stomping its way through the courtyard, going through the wall. Alya was up in seconds, racing to the doors.

"Alya! Where are you going?!" Marinette cried in alarm. 

Alya stopped long enough to answer excitedly, "That's a supervillain! That means there will be heroes here too! No way am I going to miss that! You in?"

Gaping at her, Marinette shook her head no. "Suit yourself!" Alya called out, hurrying out the library. She pause, frowning to see the entryway was packed with students trying to leave. She turned to try another entryway only to trip on a dropped book as she turned the corner, grunting as she hit the ground. Before her was a soft hiss of something sliding across the floor. Blinking ahead of her, she eyed a small dark object laying a few meters from her. 

Was that in her bag? 

Alya crawled towards it, picking it up and opening it. She quickly dropped it as a light came out of it, revealing a floating, yawning cat. Said cat barely had time to finish his yawn when Alya drew near, already bombarding him with questions. 

"Woah! What are you? Where did you come from? Were you in my bag? Why were you in my bag? Wh— "

"Personal space!" the cat cried out, drawing away from her. "I know cats are curious but by the cheese!"

Alya raised a brow, snorting. "By the cheese?" 

"Ok, to answer a few, I'm Plagg, a kwami, i grant powers." 

Alya gasped loudly, drawing in close once more. "You can make me a hero?!"

Plagg leaned away, wondering how he wound up with such an excitable kid. "Yeah, I can. In that box is my ring. Where it and you get to be a cat hero." Alya already had it on before Plagg finished and was now bouncing up and down in pure excitement, impatiently awaiting Plagg to say more. "Your power is Cataclysm, ruin anything however you desire. But after you use it, you'll have five minutes before you detransform."

"Cool, cool; but how do I become hero? I'm ready for Paris to see me! And to go kick ass! And— " Alya declared, making Plagg stiffen.

"Woah there! No one can know you're a hero!"

"What? Alya faltered, "Why not? American heroes out themselves." 

Plagg raised a brow at that. "Well you’re not one. If your identity is exposed, you can't use my ring anymore."

"Ok," Alya murmured, sagging a little. Then perked up, bouncing on her feet once more. "Ok. Ok! Ok! I'm ready! How do I become a hero for Paris?"

"Claws out will spark the— "

"Claws out!"

* * *

One ball shot towards the bags and hit them hard, sending them all toppling down. There was a universal shout at Kim as Nino ran over, worried for his headphones. He muttered curses under his breath as he adjust his bag, looking inside to make sure everything in it was ok. He paused when he saw something red floating in the peripheral of his vision. Looking up, he shouted in surprise to see some floating bug thing blinking big dark eyes at him. 

Everyone paused at his shout and hurried over, and Nino watched as the alarm flickered over the thing’s face and it darted down to hide among the bags. As everyone gathered around him, he pointed to the bags, loudly declaring, “There’s something in there!” 

Kim moved to check it out, extremely curious to see what spooked Nino. He was quick to find it. 

“What the… I think this is Rose?” he offered, turning and presenting what he thinks is a toy to her. 

Rose blinked at the strange, reddish pink toy offered to her, and tentatively picked it up, turning it around to eye it. Nino stared, gaping that his classmates were casually touching it. When it's dark eyes flickered to Nino, he almost slapped it right out of Rose’s hands. 

“It is kinda cute,” Rose announced, snapping Nino’s eyes to her. “But, no, it's not mine. It's a little too red for my liking.” 

Everyone jumped as the ground shook beneath them, and the little red being took the chance to “drop” from Rose’s hands down beside Nino. He scrambled away, seeing its eyes locked onto him. Faintly, they all heard a distant roar. Sharing a look, they all started to grab their things and hurry away, the teacher pausing long enough to check the news on his phone. 

As alone as they can be, the being spoked, her little stern and desperate. “Do. Not. Scream.”

Nino stared down at her. 

“I am not here to hurt you. I’m here to help, but I’ll need your help first.” 

“What are you?” he demanded in a loud whisper. 

The being perked and smiled. “I’m Tikki! A kwami! I can make you a hero!”

“...I’m sorry a what?”

“A hero!” She pointed to the stadium walls. “Out there, a friend of mine is being misused, his power is to make others heroes, but right now he’s forced to make villains. With me, you will have the power to stop him and restore all the damage that’s been done!” 

“How?” Nino wondered, very, very skeptical of this. 

“Lahiffe!” D’Argencourt shouted. “We need to move!” 

“B-be right there!” Nino shouted. 

“With my miraculous,” she held up twin earrings, “spots on will spark the transformation. Lucky Charm will give you an item you need to succeed. You must break the item that this villain has, it will free a tainted butterfly that you must catch with the yo-yo. Once freed, you can summon Miraculous Cure to fix all damage that’s been done.”

Nino stared at her, struggling to process this train of information that rushed out of the little being’s mouth.  _ “What _ . _ ” _

“Lahiffe!!”

Another boom, another tremor shot through the earth. 

“There’s no time!” Tikki urged, starting to get frantic. “You can do it, Nino! You’ve been chosen! You can save the day!” 

_ “Lahiffie!”  _

Nino grabbed his bag and grabbed the little being, running towards the irked teacher. Cracking a tight smile, he ducked his head down and trailed behind the teacher. He stopped a bit of ways, relieved that the teacher was more focused on the students that escaped ahead of him. Once alone and relatively safe, he opened his palm to the little being that sat there, waiting for him. “Ok,” Nino started off, “explain that again, but slower.” 

Tikki offered him a fretful smile. 

* * *

Alya felt  _ alive _ . 

It seems this miraculous enhanced  _ everything _ . She moved faster, could jump higher, felt stronger; there was no limit. She was on a ride of a lifetime as she leapt her way to a roof and started to run along, giddy as she took in the surrounding rooftops, high above the rest. 

Through her race towards the villain, she could see her reflection in the mirror, catching snippets of her look. Her hair seemed darker, with faux ears set on top of her head, and was pulled back into a ponytail. She wore a large mask that covered most of her face, notably hiding her beauty mark, and set against it, her eyes seemed to gleam yellow and green. She had a dense black overcoat that stopped at her torse and spread out behind her as a coattail, possibly acting as a loose cat tail. Beneath the overcoat was a white button shirt, and black jeans under it with tight, form fitting boots. There were flashes of gold, lining the zipper of her overcoat and all of her pockets, and a golden baton behind her. Her hands were covered by dense black gloves that had a slight weight to them. Almost like she could box with them. 

Not that she had time to really stop and admire herself, but Alya liked to think that she looked good. 

Which reminded her, stopping for a moment, she muttered to herself, “I got to start thinking of a name!” 

It’s got to be something catchy, and rolls off the tongue nicely. 

She had a start by another bellow, seeing the glem climbing its way into the stadium. She tore forward, becoming a blur on the roofs, joining the golem in no time flat. 

“Hey, Rockhead!” she shouted, pointing a claw tipped finger at it. The golem paused, turning to glare at her with glowing eyes. “Cat attack!” she cried, pouncing at it and slashing at its face. She paused as the golem grew bigger, growling at her. She barely leapt away as the first came down from where she standing before. 

As the golem started to pursue her, there was a loud coming shout. Both turned just in time to see someone red and black coming up to them and hitting the golem hard, sending it to fall off the side of the stadium it had just scaled up, and the other figure was bounced back inside the stadium. Laughing loudly, Alya pursued him, finding a ladybug themed dude had gotten stuck in a stadium seat. 

“Smooth moves there, Red!” She grabbed his reaching hand and pulled him up, looking him up and down. Black goggles with blue lens. A black hood with two white spots over his brow. Black armor around his shoulders, with a red suit beneath, and black gloves and boots. Alya pursed her lips as she took him in. Maybe she should’ve opted for more armor with her look? Dismissing the thought, she continued, “You literally came flying out of nowhere.”

He raised a brow at her. “I came out of nowhere? Where did you come from?” He quickly added, “Not that I’m not happy you’re here. I was nervous I was going to have to fight that thing on my own.” 

“I thought I was going to have to as well. Nice to know I got a partner.” She frowned, considering him before her. “So, what’s our deal? Hero and sidekick?”

By the flat stare he gave her, she opted no. 

The stadium shook, drawing their gaze back to the wall. “Sounds like Rocky’s coming back,” Alya commented. 

“Um, Tikki mentioned an item? Was there anything on it?” he asked. 

She shook her head. “I haven’t seen anything.”

“He has to have an item on him. Think you can distract him long enough for me to try and find it?” 

“You got, partner!” She was off and he followed a small distance behind her, careful to not get too close so he could observe this villain. She was on top of the golem before it could even have a chance to get a ground on the stadium, slamming her fist into its face. Its head did jerk to the side, and it grew in size. 

“Quit hitting it!” he shouted. 

“How do you expect me to fight this, then?” she shouted back. 

“I don’t know!” 

The golem snarled and she leapt away. He instinctively crouched down, gulping as he watched the monster start to pursue, his eyes flickering about wildly to try and find  _ anything _ that looked like an item on it. But there was nothing that he could see. Nothing standing out to it. There was no item  _ how was he supposed to handle this mass of rocks?! _

The golem moved faster than Alya was ready for, and she barely caught the fist in time. She grunted as she pushed back, struggling to bare the weight the golem was pressing on her. Nino scrambled seeing the cat girl in trouble and threw out his yo-yo. It flew true and looped around the golem’s wrist. Without thinking, Nino pulled, teetering the golem into the stadium, and sending it rolling  _ right into him _ . 

Screaming, Nino climbed the seats and started to run down, trying to keep ahead of the beast. He leapt to the right, going farther than he anticipated, leaving the golem to roll to the bottom. There, rolling out of its open palm was a wadded up piece of paper. Nino jumped as the cat girl was suddenly beside him, patting his shoulder, and pointing at it. 

“That must be the item! Quick! Grab it!” she commanded. 

Sighing, Nino threw his yo-yo, surprised that the paper was caught and was able to be reeled back to him. He quickly tore it as the golem started to get up. A black butterfly fluttered out and remembering Tikki’s words, Nino quickly caught. As soon as it in the yo-yo, the golem went black and dispersed like a mist, revealing a confused Ivan standing in its place. 

“Ivan?!” Nino called out, scrambling towards him. “Are, are you ok? What happened? What, what was that?”

“I, I don’t know,” Ivan murmured, rubbing his head, frowning. “I don’t remember…” 

“Ooooh, mystery,” the cat girl murmured. 

“I don’t know if that’s the proper response to this,” Nino voiced. 

“Um, who are you two?” Ivan wondered, eyeing the two oddly dressed teens. “And how do you know my name?”

The two stilled, with Nino panicking a little bit as he remembered what Tikki said about secrecy. “Uuuuuum. Lucky guess? Oh! Lucky! Lucky cure! I gotta do the cure!” 

“You have a cure?” the cat girl asked, surprised. 

“Miraculous Cure!” he shouted instead, throwing his yo-yo, sending out a rush of ladybugs and freeing that butterfly he caught, now white. 

Coming near, the cat girl praised, “Got some flashy magic there, Twinkle Toes.” 

“Don’t call me Twinkles Toes,” he grumbled. 

“Ok, what’s your name?” she asked lightly, a teasing grin on her lips. 

“Seriously, who are you two?” Ivan asked. 

“Um,” Nino uttered, glancing down at his attire, and thinking about what miraculous he has. Glancing to the cat girl, the giddiness of her energy started to seep into him, leaving him to crack a smile. This definitely wasn’t how he expected his day to go. Feeling playful, he told them, “I’m Red Beatle.” 

He got raised brows for but they didn’t object. The girl quickly rolled out, “I’m Chartroux!” Turning to Ivan, she declared, “We Paris’ newest heroes! You can count on us for your safety!” 

While Ivan just eyed them, Nino stood proud. A little uncertain about this, but he thinks she can use this well. This would be something he would be proud of, Nino was certain. 


	2. Free de Lis

Marinette wasn’t over the events of yesterday, as Alya discovered. Her new friend stood in front of the school, eyeing the wall the golem had smashed through, now fixed through the cure Red Beatle had used. Alya came up beside her to join Marinette in staring at the wall. Then she leaned forward to eye her friend, seeing her uncertain expression.

"You ok?" Alya asked, watching Marinette jump.

"Oh! Uh, yes… I'm, I'm ok," Marinette said, sounding uncertain. "It's just… freaky. You hear things like this happening in the States, but here?"

“I know! Isn’t it exciting?” Alya asked. 

Marinette eyed her for a moment, then declared, “I think you’re crazy.” 

Alya let loose a loud laugh, slinging an arm around Marinette’s shoulders. “That’s fair.”

“No, really, should I even be hanging out with you?” Marinette asked teasingly. 

Alya gasped dramatically. “Just because I have a strong sense of adventure?!” 

Marinette shook her head, laughing. They entered the school together, stilling when they saw a small crowd circled around Ivan. Alya immediately withdrew from Marinette, shouting, “Hey!” 

Everyone turned to her, watching her approach. “Lay off! Don’t you have class to get to?”

“Lay off?” Chloe repeated with a snarl. “Lay off! Adrien is  _ grounded _ at home because of him! He’s not coming back to schoooool!” 

At the pure howl of sorrow coming from her, the redhead lackey came forth to glare at Alya. “It’s all his fault!” 

Alya raised a brow at them, wondering if Ivan was really at fault for that. Before she could respond, Ivan spoke up, sounding angry enough that the crowd all took a step back. “Shut up.”

“Or what?” Chloe snapped, “You’ll turn back into a monster?” 

Ivan arose, snapping back, “I don’t—” Only to cut himself off, seeing Mylene flinch away, hiding behind Alix who quietly eyed him. He turned away, scowling. The crowd parted as Ivan stomped through it, heading to the lockers. 

Marinette followed as Chloe called after him, “I’ll remember this, Bruel the  _ Bull _ .”

Alya stepped up in front of Chloe, warning, “Shove off.” 

“Or  _ what _ .”

“Or you’re both going to the headmasters.” They turned, seeing D’Argentcourt standing over them, eyeing them both critically. 

Chloe immediately pointed at Alya, whining, “She’s picking a fight with me!” 

Alya twitched. 

D’Argencourt was unimpressed, stressing to Chloe, “Bold of you to think like I care.” Chloe gasped at him. “To class, both of you. I’ve leaving you both with a warning. Anymore discourse…” The threat was heard, and they both hurried away. 

* * *

“What, you don’t like it?” Nino asked, watching Tikki neutrally eat the snack bar he gave her. Right now he had the classroom to himself, opting to arrive early just to have that few moments of peace. Tikki took the chance to hang out with him, and voiced a need to eat. Though she didn’t seem delighted with it. 

“No! No! Its ok,” she reassured. 

“Just ok?” he asked, cracking a small grin. 

She gave him a slight pout, considering if she should really answer. “Well, I like cookies best.” 

“Cookies, huh? Well, there’s a bakery right close by.” Tikki perked, her feathery tail wagging a little in slight excitement. His grin growing, Nino reassured, “We can get some after school.”

“Thank you!” 

They heard a rush of footfalls coming up the stairs and Tikki dove into Nino’s bag to hide. Nino settled into his seat, leaning on his hand as he waited for the rest to join him. He had a start when the door bust open, a growling Chloe coming in first. Instead of heading to her seat, she went around to the new girl’s, loudly chewing at what Nino guessed was gum. He raised a brow as she took it out and slammed it down on Alya’s seat. 

“This will teach her to stand up to me,” Chloe muttered darkly, entirely ignoring Nino as she went past him, back to her new seat. Nino made a face, sighing as the rest of the students came in. Why did Chloe have to sit behind him? 

“Hey!” 

Alya stood over her seat, sharply turning to glare at Chloe. Chloe turned away with a loud harrumph. Before Alya could even do anything, Bustier came in, calling for order. Grouchily, Alya grabbed some paper towels to pick up the gum and throw it away. She took care to not touch where the gum was and angrily plopped in her seat. 

A minute after class started, Marinette and Ivan came to join, the former pausing to wince as Bustier turned to them, frowning in disapproval. “Tardiness is a bad look for you, Marinette.” She bowed her, slowly meandering to her seat to slid in, and then proceeded to shrink down as much as possible. Ivan in turn, just went up to his, not caring to hear what lecture Bustier may say to him. He spared Chloe a glare and dropped into his seat, rattling the surrounding seats. 

The tension here was thicker than Nino would like, and he turned away to focus on Bustier. With luck, it’ll disperse as the day continues. 

* * *

Alya’s mood did not improve as the day continued. Leaning over, she whispered her question to Marinette. “Does she always play favorites?”

“Yes,” Marinette whispered back. 

“Are you serious?” 

Marinette gave Alya a defeated glance. She admitted, “I’ve thought about trying to switch to Mendeleiev, but… Mme Bustier always discourages it.” Her shoulders sagged, thinking back to all the guilt tripping Bustier would drop on her, making her feel terrible for even considering leaving. 

Alya gave her a nudge, reassuring, “Don’t worry, you don’t have to deal with her by yourself anymore.” 

Marinette offered her a relieved smile, and it grew as the bell rang. As class started to arise and get ready, Marinette turned around to Mylene and Alix, asking, “Hey Mylene, can we talk to you for a few minutes?” 

The girl blinked owlishly at Marinette, sparing a fast glance to Alya, then to Alix. The pink haired girl shrugged, gathering her things and heading out with the rest. As Mylene moved to ask Marinette what was up, she cut herself off as Ivan drew near, towering over all three of them, though his steel eyes was settled on Mylene. Mylene shrunk down, as if expecting the worst from him. 

Marinette urged, "Go on, show her."

Ivan looked away, Alya was startled to see a blush on his cheeks. "This is for you," Ivan murmured, setting a sheet if paper down on her desk. 

Smiling, Marinette got up, starting to gather her stuff. She motioned Alya to join her while Mylene read over what Ivan presented her. Alya followed, giving Marinette a raised brow. Once they were out of the room and giving the two privacy, Alya asked, "What was that about?"

Marinette revealed, "Ivan has a crush on Mylene, and that's what Kim had been teasing him about earlier. He's been wanting to confess to her for a while."

Alya’s mouth formed an o before beaming. "Wow, you're pretty sharp." 

Marinette blushed a little, tugging at her straps. "I just talked with him." 

"I'm glad we got people like you here," Alya said, "that'll help keep the villain numbers down here." Based on what Plagg told her last night, she'll now have to keep an eye out for anyone upset. It was nice to know Marinette was going to help.

"Huh?" 

Alya turned to her, seeing Marinette eye her in confusion. Realizing what she said, Alya hurried out, "Oh! I was, uh, able to talk to the new hero, Chartroux! That's how I got to learn how villains are made."

"How does it work?" Marinette asked. 

"Magical butterflies are drawn to upset people, use their upset emotions to make villains."

Marinette frowned, realizing that the golem could've returned this morning if she hadn't intervened. She jumped as Alya patted her shoulder. "Keep up the good work, Marinette!" 

Marinette cracked a smile. "I'll do my best."

* * *

"It's not fair," Adrien stressed, staring back up at his father. "Mom promised." 

"And she's not here to uphold that promise," Gabriel said coldly, watching Adrien physically draw away. In a sofer tone, he told Adrien, "The world is too dangerous, Adrien. It would be in your best interest to stay here."

"But, there are like, heroes now!" Adrien protested. "They'll keep Paris safe! So I should be fine! Other parents are letting their kids go!"

"Other parents don't have my priorities," Gabriel snapped. "You are not going to school, you aren't leaving this room outside meals."

"Father!"

"Good day, Adrien, I'll see you in a few days to see how your piano is coming along." The door closed behind him, followed by a sharp lock. Adrien stared nimbly at the door, unable to grasp how things changed to be like this. He had been outside, attending school. He finally had it and it was just… ripped away from him. 

A frustration started to build in him, and in a rush to let it out, he grabbed his fencing foil and started to slash it about wildly in his room. It was satisfying to hear the air as the flimsy metal whipped through, allowing it to be somewhat of an outlet. 

In his slash about, he didn’t notice the black butterfly coming towards him, but felt a change as it landed on the foil.  _ “Greeting, Free de Lis, I hear you’d like to be unbound. I might have a proposition for you.” _

“Keep talking,” Adrien eagerly requested. 

* * *

By lunch, Alya was already off and hurrying away, leaving before Marinette could even suggest lunch at her place. She settled for the first secluded spot she could find and opened her bag, asking, “Ready?”

Plagg cracked open one green eye. “Ready for what?”

“To find whoever’s causing this!” Alya declared. 

“Yeah, good luck with that,” Plagg murmured, stretching out, then dropping with a content sigh. 

“What?” Alya asked sharply. 

“Kid, it’s been one day. You don’t even have this misuser’s name. How are you going to find them?” Plagg asked. 

“Well, better doing something than nothing!” 

“Or waste our time and energy clawing at air.” 

Making an exaggerated noise, she asked, “Can’t you like, find them? They have a kwami too, right? Can’t you sniff them out?”

“Gross!” Plagg protested. “We don’t sniff each other!”

“Can you not locate another kwami?” Alya asked.

Making a face, Plagg answered, “I can sense another kwami, but I can’t exactly tell you  _ where _ , I just know they’re close by. Like, Red Beatle’s kwami is close. But!” Plagg quickly added as Alya moved to speak, “When a miraculous is misused, it's an annoying precaution that the misused kwami ‘cuts themselves off’. This way the misuser can’t find other miraculouses to misuse.” 

“But that means we can’t find the misused kwami.” 

“And that’s why it's an annoying precaution. And then add onto that this is a long distance miraculous so that misuser can be anywhere…” 

Alya groaned, smearing a hand over her face. “How am I supposed to find this villain then?”

Plagg shrugged, having no answer for her. “That’s why I say we don’t even bother. Its a waste of our time and our energy.” He settled back to continue his nap. “If you’re going to join Marinette for lunch, grab me some cheesy croissants or danish. Its the least you can do since you won’t get me Camembert.” 

“It’s too expensive!” Alya huffed. 

Rolling to his side, Plagg muttered, “This is why I told him to give me to a rich kid.” 

“What was that?” 

“Nothing.” 

Narrowing her eyes at Plagg, Alya cracked a grin, making the kwami uneasy. “Well, if we can’t find this misuser, we can at least secure that there’s no trouble in Paris!” 

“Wait!” Plagg cried out in protest. 

“Claws out!” 

Chartroux leapt to the top of the school, breathing in the afternoon air deeply, she beamed at the cityscape. She could get used to this. 

* * *

Tikki was practically vibrating in Nino’s bag, excited to get those cookies. So excited that Nino could feel her moving about in his bag as he headed for the bakery. Chuckling, he lightly chastised, “Calm down.” 

Tikki peeked up at him from the bag’s opening, reminding, “You said that these were the best cookies!” 

He laughed. “Yeah, the Dupain-Chengs make the best baked goods.” Pausing at the crosswalk, he quickly added, “We can’t get cookies  _ all _ the time, but I can get them occasionally.” 

Tikki nodded. That was ok for her. 

“Nino?” 

Nino turned, seeing Marinette coming to join him at the crosswalk. Raising a brow, she asked, “You coming by today?” 

“Ah, yeah, thought I’d surprise Chris with a treat,” quickly offered, internally wincing as he now realized that meant Marinette would not be expecting him to get Chris’ favorite, a fruit tart. Oh well. The squirt will like it though. 

Marinette smiled, offering, “That’s very sweet of you.” 

Noticing that she was all by her lonesome, he asked, “No redhead today?”

“Ah, no, she was off before I could offer her having lunch here,” Marinette said, sounding a little disappointed, but not overly upset. 

Humming, Nino voiced, “Well, if that offer still stands… I won’t say no to a free lunch.” 

Marinette snorted. “You don’t even need an offer. But yes, you can join me for lunch today.” 

“Great—” Nino faltered, seeing Chartroux leap out of the school and go rushing off on the roofs. Was there a villain about? Already? Was this going to become an everyday thing? Nino felt uncertain of that thought. 

“Nino?” Marinette asked, turning to see what he could be looking at. 

“Uh, actually, um, sorry. Something came up. I’ll, uh, see you at school!” Nino hurried out, already moving to run away from Marinette and head after Chartroux. Marinette peered after him in confusion, tilting her head as she watched him go. 

To herself, she wondered, “Did I do something today?” First Alya up and disappears, and now Nino was off quite suddenly too? She shook off those sad thoughts and headed home. Her mood will improve after she eats. 

* * *

Chartroux was practically flying over Paris, a dark blur on the roofs, living the thrill of simply being able to run and leap like this. Unbound and unlimited. This miraculous was amazing. And she can hear so much around her, and her eyesight was so much better she didn’t even need glasses of any sort as a hero. 

There was no way any sort of trouble could hide from her so long as she wore this ring!

“Chartroux!” 

She paused, seeing Red Beatle scrambling to catch up with her, looking a tad winded. Stopping beside her, he asked, “Where’s the villain?”

She blinked at him. “There’s a villain?” 

“Isn’t that why you’re out?” he asked. 

“I was just patrolling, looking for any possible trouble!” she revealed dramatically. 

“Are you serious,” he grumbled to himself, “I missed a free lunch because of this.” 

“Well, you didn’t have to come up here,” she pointed out. 

He crossed his arms, grumbling, “Well how was I supposed to know what you were doing up here?”

She pursed her lips, not exactly having an answer for that. “You know, that’s valid. Maybe we should—” Chartroux was cut as there was a blur next to them, nearly toppling two over. They straightened as a loud laugh rang through the air, looking up to see a new villain standing over them. 

“Red Beatle and Chartroux! I’ve been looking all over for you!” the newest villain declared loudly, his blue eyes glowing down at them. This villain looked like some old French noble, with the big hat and the bulky coat. And in his hand was a gleaming rapier. 

“I have no idea what the item is,” Red announced flatly. 

They scrambled away as the villain was on them in seconds, slashing at where they used to be. “Wow,” the villain laughed, “you really don’t  _ beat _ around the bush, do you? But that works in his favor.” The villain stood up, a glowing symbol appearing over his face. “Hawk Moth rather get straight to the point. He’d like your earrings and ring.” The villain’s eyes settled on Red and he nervously started to slowly back away. 

“Hawk Moth?” Chartroux repeated, her pupils thin, locked onto the villain. “Is that who you work for grunt?” 

“Grunt? I’m not a grunt, but an akuma! And I am the akuma, Free de Lis!” the grunt, Free de Lis, declared dramatically. 

Alya raised a brow. “Free de Lis?”

She jumped away with a squeak as he leapt at her. “I’ll never be caged! I’ll be free! Free as the monarchs and nobles of old!” 

Red called out, “It’s debatable how free they were. Especially when the people got pissed…” He trailed off as Free de Lis turned towards him. 

“You mean how they made the streets run  _ red _ ,” Free de Lis shot him a wild smile that left Red feelings unnerved, his eyes far too bright and crazy. 

Nope. 

Red Beatle out. 

He turned and hurried away, the akuma giving chase. Behind them, Chartroux shouted, moving to race after them. She pounced at Free de Lis, only to have a start as she went right through him. She hit the ground and rolled away, avoiding the rapier that came after her. “I told you,” Free said, “I’ll never be caged.”

* * *

Red dropped into an alley, chanting, “Spots off! Spots off!” 

The transformation fell away as Tikki floated out, turning to Nino in confusion. “What’s wrong?” she asked. 

“What’s wrong? Did you see that guy?! He’s  _ crazy _ !” Nino all but shouted at her, waving his hands behind him to stress the point. 

Tikki though was unphased as she stared down at him, frowning slightly. She drew near, gently urging, “There is a victim up there that you need to help.  _ You _ have that power to help them.” 

“You really expect me to face crazy?” Nino snapped. 

“So long as you wear my miraculous, yes.” 

Nino buried his face in his hands, groaning slightly, starting to pace about in the alley. Tikki watched in quietly, sparing anxious glanced upwards. Pressed to get Red Beatle back out there, she urged, “You can’t leave Chartroux to face that victim by herself.” She darted up to his face, startling him. “She doesn't have the power to cleanse the butterfly!”

“I don’t even know what the akuma’s item is!” Nino cried out. “Is it the hat? The coat? The sword? His boots?”

“Then grab it all,” Tikki said simply. 

“You say that like it’s easy!” 

“It can be with Chartroux’s help,” Tikki offered, catching Nino’s attention. “If you’re not ready for that, she can face it for you. It is her job to assist you.” 

Eyeing her, he tentatively asked, “You think she can?” 

Tikki smiled. “She’s confident in her capability, isn’t she?”

* * *

Chartroux took note of another perk to the miraculous: they can take on what should be lethal hits. She had braced for the blade that came to her right, and barely felt the actual blow when it hit her. With Free de Lis close to her, it was instinct to jut her fist out, hitting the akuma right in the face. 

As Free de Lis stumbled away, Chartroux snatched away his hat, tearing it. Nothing came out of it. "Hats off to you for getting a blow in," Free de Lis commented.

Chartroux groaned, "Enough of the puns!"

Free simply smirked, crouching down as he prepared to charged; only to be halted when a yo-yo snagged his blade. They turned to see an unsteady Red Beatle holding the akuma back. As he moved to reel back Free, the akuma turned and charged at him. Squeaking in alarm, Red clumsily dodged the incoming strikes. Chartroux dove in, breaking up the chase.

"I'm getting really fed up with this," she declared. 

"Maybe I can try something," he offered warily, eyeing Free. The hat was gone, so no butterfly in there. "Lucky Charm!" 

A car's rim dropped into his hand, earning a puzzled stare at it. Chartroux plucked it from his hand, earning a stuttering protest from Red. She threw it like a disk, which went right past the akuma. "Dang it," she muttered.

"Thanks, Chartroux," he jabbed.

"Well what else were you going to use it for?" She snapped back. As he retorted back, Free de Lis started to near. Noticing his, Red gripped his yo-yo tightly. "Think you can hold him off?" 

"Going to run again?" 

"No! I'm going to get it back!" He ran off, hoping that the yo-yo will catch onto something. It do so, and Red Beatle swung around the building the fight was on, dropping down to see Marinette had picked up the Lucky Charm, eyeing the red and black spotted rim with confusion. He ran up, drawing her attention to him. “Sorry, that’s mine,” he said, taking it from her. 

“Oh. Ok,” she murmured, watching him turn, throw his yo-yo out, and dive back towards that roof. Catching on that there was a fight up there, she turned and quickly made her way to the school. 

Dropping back on the roof, finding Chartroux dodging around the akuma’s wild slashes, Red loudly called out, waving the rim, “I got it!” 

He quickly realized his mistake as the akuma turned towards him with that mad smile that freaked Red out. He dived towards him, blade outstretched. Red instinctively held out the rim in hopes that the terrible choice of a shield would hold that charge off. 

He barely heard Chartroux’s shout at him, but felt the blow. The rapier had easily dodged through the tight holes of the rim, that rapier point had gone straight for the armor around his chest. Red had felt that blow, but there was no pain from it. Why, the tip hadn’t even pierced through the armor. 

That’s right, Red remembered, the ladybug’s creation was stronger than the butterfly’s. 

While Free de Lis was frowning and repeatedly poking Red’s armor, baffled that the blade wasn’t piercing through it, Red tightly held the rim and hoped this would work. He titled the rim, listening to the instantaneous  _ crack _ as the rapier broke. Free gaped in front of him and the butterfly hurried out, quick to try and flee. 

Red quickly caught it, tapping the yo-yo lid to release the now white butterfly. Chartroux watched it go intensely, and moved to follow it. “Hey!” Red shouted after her, but there was no answer from her. He was drawn back to Free as the darkness dropped away, noting warily that Chloe’s friend stood before him, looking confused. 

“What happened?” the blond asked, looking around himself. 

“You became an akuma,” Red answered simply, picking up the rim and throwing it into the air, summoning the cure. “I’ll get you back home. Where do you live?”

* * *

Gabriel critically eyed Red Beatle as the hero quickly drew away from the Agreste doors, zipping away without looking back, unaware that he was in the close presence of the very villain he’d fight one day. 

“Father.”

Gabriel turned at the stiff murmur, seeing Adrien peer up at him angrily. Already, Gabriel could feel the upset coming from Adrien. While Gabriel was certain that this rebellion would numb over time, there was no denying that the strong emotion coming from his son would be enough to draw in his butterflies, whether Adrien was the intended target or not. 

“Adrien,” he responded coolly. “I don’t appreciate the tantrum.” 

Adrien made a face at him.

“But, if this is what will keep happening, I’ll allow you to go to school.” 

Adrien paused, looking surprised. “Really?” 

“But I expect you to be on top of everything for this privilege.” 

“Of course!” Adrien promised.

“Good,” Gabriel bid, turning and heading back inside, trusting Adrien would follow. Free de Lis did his task well, giving him another close look at the heroes, and their issues. With Red Beatle’s lack of courage and Chartroux’s wildness, he’ll have them both soon. 


	3. Storm's A Brewing

Alya pouted from where she sat in her seat, peeved to have confirmation from Plagg that the butterflies this Hawk Moth used were magic, and after cleansing, they would fade away. Become some cosmic karma force, Plagg had said. So there was no way for Alya to follow the butterfly back to him. She was now back to square one. 

“You ok?”

Alya blinked, looking over to see Marinette coming to join her, brow raised in slight concern. 

“I’m fine,” Alya reassured with a wave. “Just… really focused about this whole thing. About Hawk Moth and the heroes.”

“Hawk Moth?” Marientte repeated. 

“Oh! Right! That’s the person making these villains, these akumas.” Alya pulled out her phone, showing Marinette the new blog she spent half the night making. “I interviewed Chartroux, who is one cool cat if I have to say so myself, and to help the others find this Hawk Moth, made this blog! Cat’s Eye!” 

Marinett gave her a flat stare for the pun and Alya pursed her lips. “What? It's a good pun.” 

Marinette scooted closer to eye the blog. “So, what does it do?” 

“Ideally, if anyone sees an akuma or a black butterfly, they can send a notice and Chartroux and Red Beatle will be on the case! And maybe we can figure out where these butterflies are coming from!” 

“That’s a good idea,” Marinette praised. 

Alya beamed. “I am full of them.” 

Marinette rolled her eyes, then after a moment, offered, “You know, you could also add in tips to deal with these akumas, um, well, after there’s more info.” 

“Oh! That’s a great idea!” Alya proclaimed, “It’ll take some time cause we don’t have a lot of info yet, but that’s for sure is a future add!” 

“Happy to help.” 

Alya focused on her app, eyes squinting at it, Marinette started to settle into her seat. She paused to see the blond boy from yesterday come in, excitedly claiming his seat. Wary of him, she turned away, uncertain with his connections to Chloe. 

Next to Adrien, Nino quietly shared the wariness, making a slight face as the blond settled beside him. His agitation grew as Adrien turned to him, beaming away. “I never got your name,” Adrien noted aloud. “I’m Adrien, Adrien Agreste!” 

“...Nino Lahiffe.”

“Cool!” Nino faced forward and there was an awkward quiet between the two, which left Adrien fidgeting. “This is my first time attending a public school.” 

“How do you like it?” Nino asked neutrally. 

“I’m excited! Glad to be out of the house. And hopeful to make some friends, see what I can do with this new found freedom.” Nino paused at that, recalling the mansion he had taken Adrien back to, how it looked more like a pristine prison than a home. His father’s stiff posture as he greeted them at the door, his cold eyes regarding them, no warmth or relief to be seen. 

It was… unnerving. Nino couldn’t even imagine living in a home like that. Cautiously, he asked, just to double check. “So, this is your first time attending a public school?” 

“Yeah! And being around other kids my age, well, outside Chloe and any models around my age… you’re not a model too, right?”

Nino snorted. “You think I could be a model?” 

“Why not?” Adrien voiced, not catching Nino’s baffled amusement. “They like models who are nicely filled out, can’t be skinny. You need to work on your posture, but you do have nice eye-catching eyes.”

Nino flushed a little, looking away sheepishly. “You’re just saying that to be nice,” Nino said. 

Adrien shook his head, adamant. “You’re very attractive,” he said simply, not getting it as the boy beside him tugged his cap down as if to hide himself. 

The flustered moment came to an end as Chloe burst in, pausing to see Adrien back, and then cried out in delight. She came around and invited herself into their desk, Nino grunting in irritation as Adrien was shoved into him. “Seriously, Chloe?” Nino grouched. 

Chloe gave him a glare over Adrien’s shoulder. “Don’t ruin my moment!” 

Nino took a deep breath. With luck, Bustier will be here soon and shoo Chloe back to her seat. 

* * *

Alya stared at the screen, looking over her blog critically, trying to think of anything that could be added or if something wasn’t meeting her standards. If she did this right, this could be their means of finding this Hawk Moth. She’s got the akuma reports, the butterfly sightings, and a tips section just waiting to be filled up as they gather more info. 

...Maybe she should add, like, a general news feed. Bring up the positive image of her and Red. 

Alya paused when she felt something moving in her hair, looking over to see Plagg peeking, yawning. “I’m bored. How long are you going to stare at that thing?” 

“This blog is going to help us find Hawk Moth! And how long have you been in there?” 

“Eeeh…. I think your hair swallowed me up at four in the morning.” 

“My hair does not do that,” Alya stated flatly, plucking Plagg out. “And if there’s any cheese in there!” 

“Even if the cheese you give me is cheap, I wouldn’t stash it in there. Your showers would ruin it!” 

Alya paused, then narrowed her eyes. “Wait. Are you storing cheese somewhere in my room?” 

“...No?”

Alya started to warn, “If my room starts stinking like cheese…” 

She was cut off when her door suddenly opened, Plagg barely moving to hide in time. Alya turned to face Nora as her elder sister leaned in, giving her a pointed look. “I’m about to head out,” Nora stated, “remember you’re to get out of the house. You’ve worked on that blog enough.” 

“But it’s almost done!” Alya protested. 

“And you can finish it later!” Nora said, “Get out of the house! Exercise! Enjoy the sun! It's going to colder soon, and you’ll miss it.” 

Alya pursed her lips, pouting. After Nora left, Plagg darted out, giddily asking, “Can we drop by your friend’s bakery? I caught wind that she has  _ cheese _ croissants!  _ Cheese _ danish!  _ Cheesecake _ !” Plagg spun about, excited and delighted of the prospect of having any cheesy delight. 

Alya frowned, not really inclined to go hang out with Marinette. She recalls the girl was even babysitting so perhaps it wouldn’t be ideal to impose. Instead, she said, “You know, this could be a good time for Chartroux to patrol.” 

Plagg went still. He whined, “But we’re  _ always _ patrolling! I’m starting to worry about your social life.” 

“My duty as a hero takes priority over friends,” Alya declared, “besides, she’s busy today. Babysitting, remember?”

Plagg offered, desperate to skip out on patrol, “Well, I’m sure she’d like the help and company!”

Alya waved him off, opening her balcony door. “She’ll be fine! Now come on! Claws out!” 

Plagg let out a dragging moan as he was sucked into the ring.

* * *

_ I’m modeling at Sunny Patch, want to join? _

Nino paused at the notification, bringing his phone up to eye the text. Tikki leaned forward from where she sat on his cap, looking on with mild interest. “Are you going to go?” she asked. 

“I dunno,” Nino murmured, setting his phone down, turning back to the math book. “He’s working, right now.” 

“Maybe he wants some company,” she said. 

He paused, turning to eye her. Tikki continued gently, “He’s clearly trying to make some friends. And wants to be your friend.” 

“But I don’t really want to stand around while he’s posing.” 

“Then bring your homework! You can work while he works!” 

“Well… I guess that’s not a bad idea,” he murmured. He glanced out the window, adding, “And it is a nice sunny day outside.” 

Tikki beamed, very happy with herself. Nino she noted wasn’t unsociable, but he wasn’t making a lot of efforts to really hang out with anyone or seemed close with anyone. Tikki was uncertain why or what was going on, but she had hopes that Adrien and his want for a friend would help. 

As Nino packed up, she happily dove into his messenger bag, joining his homework. In ten minutes, they arrived, Adrien flashing Nino a broad, happy smile. Only to quickly turn back around as he was snapped for getting distracted. Not up to get Adrien in anymore trouble, Nino settled himself down on the bench, pulling out his homework and starting to focus on it. Twenty minutes went by as he worked, enjoying the peaceful atmosphere of the park, unaware of Adrien’s occasional glance back to him. 

The peace came to end when the wind started to pick up. Nino frowned, slapping his notebook down to keep it from getting blown away. But the wind grew in strength, and Nino lost his grip as he started to feel himself getting blown around a bit. He looked up, seeing a girl floating in the sky, laughing loudly. As people started to run, he went behind the bench, ducking down and pulling his bag to him. Tikki was out in an instant, wincing at the wind. 

“Spots on!” Nino called, and Red Beatle leapt out, just in time to see Adrien barely holding onto a lamp as the wind blew him about. Red dove towards him, just in time as Adrien lost his grip. Catching the blond, Red jerked his yo-yo about, weaving them through the air and landing on a roof. 

“Woah,” Adrien breathed, blinking owlishly from the save. Red’s eyes went up to his wind blown hair and he twitched, resisting the urge to snort. “Thanks, uh, Red Beatle?” 

“Stay safe, citizen,” Red bid, hurrying away. Chartroux was already on the scene, tackling the akuma mid air and sending them both down. With a slightly uncertain frown, Red leapt down to join them, nervous about the sheer power of this akuma and her means of controlling the weather. Behind him, Adrien hurried up, gazing down at the two heroes with wide eyes. 

It must be really cool, he thought, to be like one of them. 

* * *

“Ooooooh!” Manon gasped, looking out the window, watching the chaos from it. “Marinette! Marinette! Look outside!” 

Marinette did so, a hand on her forehead, more tired than she should feel. Only to quickly stiffen at the sight from the window, seeing the new heroes dealing with the latest akuma. Chartroux was in the air with her, not minding the flashing, wild lighting ground the struggling too, while poor Red was racing about in the streets below, trying to avoid said lightning bolts. 

Marinette’s heart went out to the hero in red. She was very certain that the last place she’d want to be is out there. Speaking of which, she’s not so certain she wants either of them so close to the window during this latest debacle. 

“Hey, Manon!” Marinette chirped, drawing the girl’s big eyes up to her. “How about we watch a movie instead?”

Only for Manon to give her a stubborn pout. “No!” Manon snapped, stomping her foot. “I wanna see Cat Girl and Bug Boy!” She pressed her face to the window once more, watching in delight as the chaos unfolded before her. 

Feeling frantic, Marinette quickly offered, desperate to get Manon somewhere safer than watching two heroes duke it out with a villain, “Uh, how about I make you dolls?”

That caught Manon’s attention. She turned to Marinette, listening. Marinette continued, “I’ll make you dolls of Chartroux and Red Beatle! And you, uh, can play with them next time! I’ll have them ready by then!” 

“Really!” Manon cried out in delight. 

“But,” Marinette stressed loudly, “you need to listen to me, and join me for a movie.”

Manon pursed her lips, torn between the promise of dolls based on the new heroes, or to watch this fight unfold. The dolls won out, Manon too excited to play with Cat Girl and Bug Boy to watch the fight. 

Marinette sighed in relief, quickly pulling the curtain over the window. She hoped those heroes will handle this soon. These attacks made her incredibly nervous. 

* * *

“See, Plagg,” Alya voiced immediately as she detransformed, turning to the pouting kwami, “us going out for patrol worked out after all.” 

“Today at least,” Plagg answered dryly, wiggling into Alya’s pant pocket. 

Alya headed off, grimacing. She commented to Plagg, “We got to do something about Red Beatle.” 

“What do you mean?” Plagg wondered, hanging outside the pocket, sparing her a small glance. 

“He’s hardly in these fights,” she said, frowning. “Most of the time its me.”

“Well, the Cat’s more built for fighting,” Plagg said. “The Ladybug’s more meant to be a defensive healer. Can’t entirely expect him to be on the front lines when he doesn't really have a miraculous for it.” 

“Well, I still expect more than just keeping a distance,” Alya grumbled. “What if these fights are ever close range? What’s he going to do, especially when I’m not there?” 

“Yeah, that sounds like a problem for him to handle.” 

“Or it can be a problem avoided!” Alya declared. “Cause I am Chatroux, leading hero of this duo and so far, Red’s not meeting my standards of a partner!” 

Plagg protested, “You two literally just started. Give him time.” 

“Is he even really all for this,” Alya wondered. “Does he even really want to be here?” 

Plagg unhappily stuck out his tongue, knowing he wouldn't be heard if he protested this. Alya continued, oblivious to her tired kwami’s frustration. “Maybe I should keep a look out for a different partner? If he’s not here to be Red Beatle then—”

Plagg cut in then, his voice very sharp and set on this. “You do not have the qualifications to pick a new Ladybug.” 

Alya turned to him, surprised. “There’s someone who decides this?” 

Plagg’s ears folded back, wincing, but he kept a steady stare on Alya. “It’s not you,” Plagg warily stated, “Just because Red Beatle isn’t meeting your standards right now, doesn’t mean you can go and consider who to replace him. You  _ just _ started, give him a few weeks to settle into this.” 

Alya eyed the kwami who stared back at her, his gaze firm. “Ok,” she said, “I’ll give him time. Maybe I can even offer to teach him boxing sometime.” 

Plagg settled back down. “Sounds good.” 

“So, who picked me and Red? How do you get this role? How did they get the ring and earrings? Are they tied to Hawk Moth?” 

Plagg loudly groaned as Alya started to list off question after question, not even hearing the kwami as she started to speculate the answers, becoming wilder and wilder as she rambled on. 


End file.
